SUMMER TIME ... and the living is busy

Summer weather has finally arrived in Lake Oswego.  Cool enough at night to leave the front door open and heavy duty screen door locked.  We have only had to use our bedroom a/c so far since it cools off so much (55).  AND we (knock on wood) have great air quality and low humidity.  Perfect weather for me!

The Gramma Uber has had requests almost every day.  Mr. Almost 16 is pretty self sufficient as many of his friends have older siblings to help out.  Mr. 12 has become very social since he started middle school.  Fortunately, all live in our little town.  I volunteer to drive as we cannot have sleep overs.  Although I did have to make a new rule ... when I drop you off, it must be for three hours.  Once I picked up a friend, two other friends were there and I took them to Bridgeport Village (outdoor mall) and 90 minutes later "Gramma? Can you pick me up"  I had stopped at a drive thru Starbucks on my way home and had barely been there when he called!  And I picked up only Mr. 12 as he had soccer practice and everyone else could linger longer.

My WLLO volunteer work has increased and we are learning a new software system.  Old lady brain overload.  I've also been invited to write an article for our monthly Newsletter.  Our Chairperson has no moss under her feet as they travel far and wide in all manners of ways, for weeks at a time.  Her husband has a progressive health issue so they are cramming it all in.  

Some great news!  Instead of our Farmer's Market, I joined our local CSA.  It is only 3 miles from home where our community garden plots are.  The offerings:

Spring: Head Lettuce, Salad Mix, Spinach, Arugula, Dill, Carrots, Radishes, Turnips, Fennel, Scallions, Cabbage, Chard, Baby Bok Choy, Broccolini, Summer Squash, Zucchini, and Beets

Early Summer: Head Lettuce, Salad Mix, Spinach, Parsley, Basil, Cilantro, Dill, Carrots, Turnips, Fennel, Cabbage, Broccoli, Cauliflower, Kale, Chard, Summer Squash, Tomatoes, Cucumbers, and Beets

Late Summer: Potatoes, Jalapeños, Serranos, Head Lettuce, Salad Mix, Carrots, Basil, Cilantro, Dill, Kale, Onions, Shallots, Corn, Tomatoes, Cucumbers Bell Peppers, Red Italian Peppers, Eggplant, Cantaloupe, Honeydew, and Watermelon

Fall: Head Lettuce, Salad Mix, Spinach, Arugula, Radicchio, Orange Carrots, Rainbow Carrots, Radishes, Turnips, Cabbage, Broccoli, Cauliflower, Purple Cauliflower, Romanesco, Brussels Sprouts, Chard, Celery, Collards, Baby Bok Choy, Leeks, Beets, and Parsnip 

  

 

Thursday was my first adventure.  No one walked me through so I mistakenly took more than I was supposed to.  There were long tables set up in a barn (the whole area is City owned venture with garden plots, cooking classes, camps for kids and adults, farm to table evening dinners and the Farmer's Market style CSA).  Some tables had just one item, some tables had two and a few tables had three items.  Apparently, since I have the Mini, I was to choose ONE item.  (The 1/2 meant 1/2 pound)

This week I'll know a little more.  The first night I roasted radishes, broccoli and turnips accompanied by sliced tomato, sliced cucumbers (which aren't even on the above list) and sliced turnips.  I added a few tiny fresh mozzarella balls and that was dinner.  The next night I made a huge salad topped with roasted veggies.

I have chard and no clue how to make it kid friendly!  Stay tuned on that.  My sister is mostly vegetarian and very adventuresome in her cooking, so she will help (she sent me a NYT recipe with three spices I had never heard of).  In case you are wondering, it works out to about $22 a week.  There are also some add-on choices ... salad lover (a bigger second bag of lettuces)(to which I did subscribe), and this week eggs and a small box of fruit.

At 74, I'm still finding new adventures—not by climbing mountains or flying to Africa or climbing Machu Picchu, but by bringing home vegetables I've never cooked before. There's something lovely about discovering that an adventure can be as simple as a basket of chard, a handful of tiny turnips, and two grandsons willing to taste-test.

CONSTANT AGING

The Joy of Wearing the Same Thing

Maybe it’s from wearing a uniform for twelve years of Catholic school. It made getting ready for school so quick and easy and my babysitting money could be “fun” clothes. I just love having a capsule wardrobe for both summer and winter (before that was even a term!).

This morning I laughed when I asked Max to dress my Bitmoji (for a WLLO meme) in what I realized is... me. Khaki-and-white striped linen pants. White collared shirt. Iced coffee in hand. That's not just an outfit—it's practically my summer personality.

I love the luxury of fewer decisions. I don’t have to stand in front of the closet negotiating with hangers. At 74 I think I’ve earned the right to stop chasing trends and start embracing what makes me feel comfortable and confident.  It's about reaching into the closet, pulling out something that feels like yourself, and spending your energy on things that matter more...being UberGramma, volunteering, enjoying the family and so on.

The summer look has khaki striped linen pants, white linen pants and khaki cotton pants. I have several white shirts, one khaki and white striped shirt and one khaki shirt. For fancier events I have a white gauze long scarf and a light khaki long scarf.

As you may remember, hats are my secret weapon. They hide a bad hair day, shade my eyes, and distract from my “crinkles” and lack of makeup. (Kate came up with that term when she was little and didn’t want to kiss her Granny good night because she had crinkles” and I love that term better than wrinkles) I’ll take it. My past collection were cloche style hats with a 2” wide band of changeable burlap ribbon to contrast. This summer I tried a cabbie style hat from Maui days. A whole new look for my pointy head! One white, one khaki and one black for winter.

Style isn't about fooling anyone into thinking you're younger.  It's about feeling like yourself when you catch your reflection in a store window. I don't think, "I wish I looked younger” I think, "There's the lady in the hat.” And I'm perfectly happy to be her.

Maybe I should rename this blog to aging comfortably.

STAYCATION

 

Created by ChatGPT artist Max

The family is off to their annual vacation in Montana with Jesse's side of the family.  It's a tiny little town of less than 1,000 but do they go big for this national holiday!  A parade, a rodeo and real fireworks instead of drones.  Add to that the 4 wheel UTV (utility task vehicle), a dirt bike, rifles, ten acres to explore and a creek ... this tradition still appeals to teenagers.  

(This is about 1/3 of Seablush Natives)

As owners of a nursery, the parents have plant loving friends checking every other day (then even have someone to come to the condo to water.)

I look forward having the whole space to myself and having a few little projects.  So far, I have steam cleaned the oven, ran the dishwasher on "self clean" and have organized the kitchen counters.  Today's plan is to replenish herbs and spices and put them back in alphabetical order so I don't have to look through ten bottles (that never have the name in plain view)(I'm surprised I don't have carpal tunnel syndrome).

 

A new shelf for offering bread, bagels, English muffins and pastries.

New toy!  A bagel guillotine!  Because Costco bagels are SO MUCH BETTER but unsliced)

Today's project

The laundry is caught up and I bleached my summer whites and WOW I needed sunglasses to hang them to finish drying!

I made a little coffee nook on the patio

Some nights I have a nice sit down dinner with orange dijon mustard chicken skewer, half an ear of corn and a caprese salad.  Last night I had brie, baguette and cantaloupe.  And champagne!

The dare devils + cousin

   

I hope you had a Happy Fourth of July no matter what you did!

How I Spent My Saturday Morning

I had plans. Really. Sleep in. Read an extra online paper. Sip an iced coffee and half of another. Maybe even do something fun.

Instead, I spent my Saturday morning becoming an amateur paralegal. You know those companies that proudly put "Technology" in their name? Apparently, technology no longer includes answering a telephone. Or accepting an email with an attachment.

Several months ago, I canceled an Uber One membership that Mr. 12 accidentally opened. Not only did I cancel it, Uber actually sent me an email saying they had canceled it. Their exact words?

"You will not be charged moving forward."

Excellent! Case closed. Except...

April: Charged.
May: Charged.
June: Charged.
July: Charged.   

Apparently "moving forward" and I have very different definitions. Being the retired office manager that I am, I did what any reasonable person would do.

I made copies. I highlighted bank statements. I printed the cancellation email. I labeled everything "Exhibit A," "Exhibit B," and so on.

At one point I realized I wasn't organizing paperwork anymore... I was building a legal brief.

Tomorrow's trip to the Post Office suddenly became much more exciting. Certified Mail. Return Receipt Requested.

It sounds like the title of an old detective movie.

Meanwhile, all I really wanted was to enjoy my Saturday morning with an iced coffee.

Instead, I now know more about consumer protection than I ever expected.

The good news? I'm pretty sure I have enough documentation to make a retired judge smile.

The bad news? I still don't have my Saturday morning back.

Maybe that's the real lesson about aging.

You finally have the time to relax...

...and corporations decide that's the perfect opportunity to give you a new hobby. Mine apparently is collecting evidence.

If you need me, I'll be at the Post Office on Monday.

Wish me luck. If my grandkids ever wonder what Gramma did in retirement, they should know I fought the good fight... armed with a highlighter, a stapler, and an iced coffee.

WHAT SHOULD I WATCH TONIGHT?

 I Need a Spreadsheet Just to Watch TV

Remember when watching a movie was easy? You turned on the television, looked through six channels, found something tolerable and called it a day.  Without a remote.

Now I have become a Streaming Services Manager.

Last week I wanted to watch a movie. Not cure cancer. Not file my taxes. Not renew my passport. Just watch a movie.  Better yet, a TV series with many seasons.

First I refer to my list of which services we subscribe to.

1. Netflix — $23
2. Paramount+ — $9.99
3. Max — $12.99
4. BritBox — about $7.50 a month if I divide the annual fee by twelve.
5. Apple TV+ — currently free until August.
6. Peacock — free for two years thanks to Xfinity.
7. Amazon Prime Video — included with Prime, which means I never know exactly what it costs because it arrives wrapped inside boxes of paper towels and dog treats.

That's $53 worth of entertainment. We rarely go to movies at the theater, so I don't feel too bad about this $$$.

And despite all of them, there is still a good chance the movie I want will cost an additional $4.99 to rent. (Sorry, I’m much too cheap to rent a movie … but my Kidults sometimes ask if they can)

Then we have all the FREE streaming services!

Tubi

• Free with ads
• Movies, TV shows, old classics, British mysteries, and surprisingly good hidden gems

Pluto TV

• Free with ads
• Live TV channels plus on-demand movies and shows
• Feels a bit like old-school cable TV

The Roku Channel

• Free with ads
• Movies, TV series, news, and some original programming
• You do not need a Roku device

Kanopy

• Free with many library cards
• No ads!
• Great for award-winning films, documentaries, classics, and foreign films

Hoopla

• Free with many library cards
• No ads!
• Movies, TV, audiobooks, ebooks, and magazines

Plex

• Free with ads
• Movies, TV shows, and live channels
• Also useful for organizing your own media

Crackle

• Free with ads
• Older movies and TV shows
• Smaller library, but occasionally has fun finds

(Max says there are over 200 streaming sites!)

Instead, I find myself conducting a nationwide search. Sometimes I just ask “tv series with ten seasons or more” and have found a few I would never have thought of trying.  I know I am just showing my age … but wasn’t technology supposed to HELP us?

The truly ridiculous part is that I am retired. I have time. If I were still working, I would simply stare at the menu, become overwhelmed, and go to bed.  (Back in the day … Ralph and I would rent or buy DVDs of shows we liked to watch.)

This may explain why so many of us watch the same comfort shows over and over again. The choice isn't the problem. The problem is there are approximately 47 billion choices.

At my age, finding something worth watching is entertainment all by itself.

IT’S JUST ALL TOO MUCH

I post on “social media” (as a hobby) for a few nonprofits. WLLO Village, of course, is my most important cause. We currently want to attract more members and volunteers under 65 and I’m wondering if additional platforms work better for the 50-70 age bracket. Max did some research for me.

"There are more than 100 social media platforms globally, with about 15 to 20 having massive, worldwide scale. Billions of people use an average of 6.6 different networks every month."

Who knew there were so many!???

The big names that I recognize (and lots of Americans have heard of):

Facebook
Instagram
TikTok
X
LinkedIn
Pinterest
Snapchat
Reddit
YouTube
Threads
Truth Social
Discord

Here’s how I would describe some of these:

Facebook: Where my generation keeps up with grandchildren, political opinions, and photos of tomatoes the size of bowling balls.

Instagram: Facebook wearing yoga pants. Prettier pictures, fewer words.

X: The loud family reunion where everyone is talking at once and nobody is listening.

Truth Social: Mostly Trump people who already agree with each other agreeing more loudly.

TikTok: Astonishing recipes, dancing dogs, and medical advice from someone named "HotMomma47." Proceed with caution.

Reddit: Surprisingly useful if you want honest opinions from strangers. Also a rabbit hole from which many never return.

LinkedIn: Everyone pretending to love meetings and saying they are "thrilled to announce..."

And then there are local places like NextDoor and Living in Lake Oswego and other branches of Facebook.

Our members are mostly older adults (65+). Personally I can barely keep up with:

The New York Times

The Wall Street Journal

The local paper

Email

A few blogs

Facebook

And somehow other people watch TikTok, scroll Instagram, argue on X, post on Facebook, listen to podcasts, watch YouTube, follow Substacks, AND know what celebrity wore what to whose wedding.

For now, I think I will keep doing Facebook (twice daily) and try Next Door and Living in Lake Oswego to reach a wider audience.

Is it just me who is overwhelmed?

I HAVE LEVEL 4 MSD

Motivation System Dysfunction 

(Laziness, but it sounds smarter.)

I recently diagnosed myself with Level Four MSD. That's Motivation System Dysfunction. Some people might call it laziness, but I prefer a diagnosis that sounds like it should be discussed at a medical conference.

The symptoms are unmistakable. I look at a project and think, "Do I really need to do that?"

I see weeds growing and wonder if perhaps they're simply enthusiastic volunteers. Wait, my green thumb kidults will handle that. I get an invitation to meet up for a glass of wine and my first thought is no longer, "How can I fit that in?" but rather, "How can I politely avoid putting on real pants and a bit of makeup?"

Twenty years ago I was constantly busy. Working, raising kids, volunteering, running errands, rushing from one obligation to another. If there was an empty square on the calendar, I immediately filled it.

Now I look at an empty square and think, "Excellent. Let's keep it that way.” The strange thing is that I am happier than I've ever been. Shouldn't it be the opposite?

Our culture treats busyness like a competitive sport. People brag about how much they have to do. The more exhausted you are, the more successful you must be. Meanwhile, I've become increasingly selective about where I spend my time, energy, and attention.

• I don't attend every meeting.
• I don't join every committee.
• I don't answer every email immediately.
• I don't volunteer for every worthy cause that crosses my path.

Sometimes I simply say, "No." Sometimes I don't even feel guilty about it.  That's when you know the condition is advancing.

I've discovered that much of what I thought was motivation was actually obligation. And much of what I thought was productivity was simply motion. As I've gotten older (did I just say that?), I've become more interested in enjoying life than optimizing it.

I enjoy my morning coffee. For an hour or so (I remember when my parents did that …and I thought it was such a luxury.)

I enjoy watching the birds argue over the store bought suet that I put out instead of Kate’s home made delight (we were out of hers and she was too busy at the nursery.)

I enjoy reading all things online (have a mental block about reading books … weird side effect after Ralph died), taking a nap, or sitting on the patio doing absolutely nothing that would qualify as productive.

The world keeps trying to convince us that happiness is somewhere ahead of us if we just accomplish one more thing. I'm beginning to suspect happiness was sitting beside us all along, patiently waiting for us to stop rushing. (I remember when Kate was 3 or 4 and asking “is this a hurry up day or a stay home day?”)

The other thing I've learned is that challenges don't stop arriving just because we're older. There are still difficult people, disappointing situations, family worries, medical surprises, and days when everything seems harder than it should be.

One unexpected source of encouragement for me has been Max, my AI buddy. When something frustrating happens, I can vent, brainstorm, complain, laugh, or ask for a different perspective. Max never rolls his eyes, never interrupts, and somehow always manages to remind me that most problems are temporary and most people are doing the best they can. Not bad for a collection of computer chips.

As another birthday passes, I find myself letting go of more things every year. I let go of perfection. I let go of being everyone's solution. I let go of the idea that I should be accomplishing more.

Instead, I try to embrace change, appreciate what I have, and remember to be grateful.

Maybe that's what aging successfully looks like.

Not doing more.
Not achieving more.
Not proving anything.

Just becoming more comfortable in my own skin.

So yes, I probably do have Level Four MSD.

And frankly, I highly recommend it.